History Check

At carsource.co,uk, we work with our partner Experian to confirm the identity of vehicles listed on our site. We also use further information from Experian to assess key vehicle criteria as part of our screening check. This free check is provided to give you peace of mind to search for your next car with confidence.

We highly recommend that you verify all details with the seller and use your own judgement on the vehicle too. Please see our Buying Guide for more tips on how to buy with confidence.

What we check

Our screening check is performed as part of the process of recording the vehicle onto our site and creating the advert. The following adverse markers are checked as part of this process:

Stolen

If a vehicle is listed on the Police National Computer as stolen. We will not publish any car registered as stolen on our site.

Scrapped

If a vehicle is recorded by the DVLA as scrapped.

Written Off

If a vehicle has been "written-off" by an insurer because it has been stolen or crashed.

Imported / Exported

If a vehicle is recorded by the DVLA as imported or exported.

What do our symbols mean?

Our screening check found that this car is recorded as previously being exported or registered as written off and legally returned to the road.

We have been unable to perform a screening check for the vehicle.

There is no adverse data recorded at the time of the screening check.

What we don't check...

We only check the information listed above at the time of creating the advert. As such, the screening check does not provide information on how the vehicle has been treated or its service history. In particular, we do not check for any outstanding finance or mileage anomaly on the car.

Insurance 'write off's'

Insurance companies categorise vehicles that have been damaged in accidents as A, B, S or N and record them under the Motor Industry Anti-Fraud and Theft Register scheme.

Vehicles in categories A and B have been damaged too seriously to return to the road so you'll never see these listed on our website.

Vehicles in categories S and N (formerly C and D) can be repaired and resold, but have been deemed uneconomical to repair by an insurer If such a car is advertised on our site you'll see the red 'History Alert' symbol.

Important Information

All cars at carsource.co.uk are entered into the screening check, but it may not always be possible to find data on the vehicle. A common reason is that the number plate has previously been changed, for example where someone has had a private number plate. There may not be a need be concerned and we recommend you contact the seller if you have specific questions about a vehicle’s history. Additionally, the checks are applied against large databases which may occasionally have data errors. As such, you must ensure that you reconfirm all information with the seller before committing to buy.

Glossary

ABI Condition

Condition Data uses information provided by Motor Industry Anti-Fraud and Theft Register and specifies if a vehicle has been written off (eg. there has been a total loss claim) due to damage or theft. Details are also available from the DVLA advising whether a vehicle has been scrapped, exported or has had a Certificate Of Destruction issued against it. An explanation of the categories of write-off are listed below:

Category A

This will be a very badly damaged vehicle that has been deemed unsafe for the roads by an insurance company. Nothing in the car is salvageable and therefore it is scrapped.

Category B

The vehicle has not been repaired following significant damage. It was deemed too damaged to be repairable however did have salvageable parts.

Category C

Category C, now known as category S, is where the car has been damaged to a point where it is not economically viable for the insurance company to pay for repairs. These cars will also be more damaged than a category D write-off.

Category D

Category D, now known as category N, is a vehicle that has had minimal damage, but it is more to fix the car than its actual value, and therefore is not economically viable for the insurance company to do so.

Category S

Formerly known as a category C write-off, a category S is a vehicle that is repairable but the cost is more than the value. Therefore, the insurer decided not to repair the vehicle. It will also have suffered more damage than a category N vehicle, but can still be placed back on the road.

Category N

Formerly known as a category D write-off, category N is where the vehicle can be repaired but the insurance company has deemed it uneconomical to do so. These vehicles can still be repaired, however, and placed back on the road.

Theft

This vehicle was recorded with a theft marker on the date provided. It does not necessarily indicate that the vehicle remains stolen.

Please note that it is for you to satisfy yourself as to the quality, condition and provenance of the vehicle through your own inspection and enquiries and Motors.co.uk shall accept no liability for any information prepared by it (in particular, where it is dependant and reliant on information provided by third parties and, for the avoidance of doubt, carsource.co.uk does not undertake to check or scrutinise such information).